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L.A. Woman
After turning heads as the tart-tongued Cordelia Chase on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charisma Carpenter splits Sunnydale and spreads her wings in the Buffy spinoff Angel
by Annabelle Villanueva

When one thinks of Cordelia Chase, several adjectives spring to mind: haughty, catty, blunt, insulting, self-centered, insensitive, vain, materialistic, mean.  But anybody who dares accuse Queen C of being bad had better prepare to hear an earful from the actress who plays her.
    "Cordy's not that bad," argues Charisma Carpenter, who's brought Cordelia to life on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the well-received Buffy spinoff, Angel. "I think there's a lot to learn from her.  She knows how to take care of herself.  And there is nothing wrong with putting yourself first in the big, bad world - knowing how to take care of yourself is an important quality to have."
    Carpenter has done a pretty good job of surviving Hollywood's shark-infested waters herself.  After being "discovered" in a Los Angeles restuarant, the lovely Las Vegas native appeared in more than 20 television commercials before landing a role in Aaron Spelling's short-lived prime-time sudser Malibu Shores.  She was hired for Buffy soon after, quickly elevating the hilariously tactless Cordy from snobby, fashion-conscious high school villain to full-fledged member of Buffy's demon-fighting crew.  This season, the character moved to L.A. - and a different WB time slot - to serve as virtuous vampire David Boreanaz's Girl Friday in Angel.  The change in scenery not only has given Carpenter a chance to try on a leading lady's designer shoes, but it also has introduced a kinder, gentler Cordelia.
    "She's becoming more fleshed out and three-dimensional," Carpenter says.  "She's really starting to be less selfish - although I hope she never completely stops thinking of herself because that's what makes her so funny.  But she's more dependable, more reliable.  When I was on Buffy, I'd say, 'Oh, I want to do more dramatic roles.' But honestly, on Angel I get all this range every single episode.  I get to be vulnerable, funny, heroic, brave, resilient, scared.  I have a chance to do it all.  When the day comes and this show is over, I will feel so much more accomplished as an actor.  It's the best learning ground I could have."
    On the other hand, Carpenter wouldn't say she's completely satisfied with her role on the series.  The 28-year-old is continually angling for an opportunity to kick some undead butt.
    "I'm dying to do action," admits Carpenter, who studied dance as a teenager and later worked as a San Diego Chargers cheerleader.  "The thing to remember is that Cordelia is a regular girl and she doesn't have superpower strength or anything.  But I do think she should know a move or two after working for a vampire and fighting the evil and undead and stuff for four years."
    Until she gets the green light to join the stunt crew, the 28-year-old is content to plan her upcoming wedding and tend to her beloved golden retrievers when she isn't spending 14-hour days toiling on the Angel set.  Carpenter also hopes to eventually join the scads of WB actors who've made the jump to the big screen, but she's happy to bide her time until she's offered something more than teen comedies and Cordelia-esque roles.
    "I don't want to keep doing the same thing," she says.  "I don't want to get pigeonholed.  If I find the right project, it better be really good or really fun.  Because my time is so limited, I'm not going to do something half-assed - I'm going to do something that I can totally sink my teeth into."